When observatory was built in 1816 for the university, it was a high-tech building with state-of-the-art instruments and specialized architecture that dampened vibrations. The observatory was a place of work and residence for the German astronomer, physicist, and mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss, who was its first director.

The institute’s main instruments were two meridian circles installed in 1818 and 1819. These allowed very precise measurements of stellar positions, which in turn allowed precise time calculations.